Permafrost
by Miko No Hoshi
Summary: I'm back with more absolutely-not-bad yaoi not-so-goodness...edited for your protection (but mainly for the beep censors). GateauMarron, cold and warmth.


Notes: Hello! This is my perverted version of the volume three manga story. (I should so be writing my three final papers right now!) I just wanted to try to synthesize the personalities a little more, but a lemon snuck in and pretty much derailed the whole 'good plat' idea, so please read it for what it is and not what it's supposed to be.  
  
Dedicated, once again, to Marron's kawaii cloak which has inspired three of my stories! (English manga volume 3, page 142)   
  
FF.net notes: Yes, the campaign continues!! Fear not brethren of yaoi, I will not give up and we will prevail!! For real story got to www.mediaminer.org ; most of us just post there anyway.  
  
Permafrost   
  
Snow drifted from the sky in large, fluffy flakes, taking its time to settle on the ground and blend with the white covering already there. The Nae-Bamba mountains stretched high into the eastern sky, white peaks standing out against the dusk, still dotted with a few skiers determined to make the most of the little light left. Most, however, had retired to the lodge building situated at the base.  
  
It was a huge complex, built with wood from the nearby forest, dark colored logs giving it a cabin feel. The roof was coated with snow, icicles lining its edge like tiny crystal stalactites. To the back were the hot springs, divided into two parts of steaming water and full of relaxing visitors. Women chatted, men drank, and children, long since brought in from the deepening cold, splashed about the edges.   
  
Meanwhile, deep within the woods, shielded by the reaching trees, the Sorcerer Hunters rested uneasily after the disappearance of the Snow Queen. Tira gathered her red cloak about her, Chocolate too dressing against the cold. After being assured that the enemy was not going to return, they proceeded to drag Carrot off to what promised to be an interesting night.  
  
"I'm going to take a look around," Marron stated, turning to walk away.  
  
"Want some company?" Gateau asked, though wandering around in the cold was the last thing he wanted to do when there were so very many opportunities to show off his muscles.   
  
Marron just shook his head, dismissing the other to head back to camp. Gateau tromped to the lodge. Stepping through the heavy front doors, he rubbed at his bare arms, trying to shake the slight cold that had reddened them. He didn't get cold very easily, due mostly to his perfectly built bod, but they had been out there quite a while fighting that snow harpy, or whatever it was.   
  
Taking a seat in one of the plush, wine colored chairs that surrounded the huge fireplace, Gateau shook the snow from his boots and let his thoughts drift to a topic they so frequently rested on, Marron. It really wasn't healthy for the boy to be wandering about out there. Marron was, well, not frail, and not precisely fragile, delicate was perhaps the word. He was smaller, and thinner than anyone really noticed. And the cold, well, the cloak he wore wasn't exactly for decoration. The mage chilled easily, though he would be the last to admit any discomfort; he wasn't weak. Gateau could almost laugh. He would give Marron an hour, and then he would go fetch him in. Until then, the fire was warm and the leather chair was comfortable. Very soon the hunter was asleep.  
  
It was dark when he awoke, and the fire lie in embers. The large living room was deserted save for a bearded man sleeping heavily in a chair in a shadowed corner. Standing, Gateau stretched, hearing his back pop. With a yawn he went in search of his friend, hoping that Marron had indeed come back to the lodge and that he wouldn't have to go back out into the snow. The halls and rooms were lit dimly for those who might be wandering about at night, though the staff seemed to have retired.   
  
The dining room was empty, tables set perfectly in preparation for breakfast. The game room and lounges yielded similar scenarios. One peek into the hot springs revealed Carrot being beaten, twitching as he was pounded yet again by Tira's massive hammer. No Marron though. Not one to give up, Gateau wandered the lodge for forty minutes before he stumbled upon his companion.   
  
For a moment he stopped, Marron yet to realize he was there, and simply looked.  
  
Having passed through a, thankfully silent, set of light swinging doors on the second floor, Gateau came out onto a wide balcony. The cold seemed worse now without the warming presence of the sun. Indeed, the sky was a clear, bluish-black color, spotted with a hundred sparkling points of light and a wide oval of a gibbous moon that cast a pale light across the boy who stood beneath it.  
  
Marron leaned against the edge of the railing, arms crossed atop it. His blue cloak fell long and liquid behind him, sweeping the floor with his bent posture. Dark hair fell over his shoulders, framing his face as he looked up to the heavens as if in expectation of some unannounced natural phenomenon.   
  
Gateau stepped forward; Marron turned to face him.  
  
"It's cold out," the blond started, reducing the distance between them to just a few feet.   
  
"Yes," the other answered. His cheeks were flushed with cold, two bright pink spots against the moon-glowing paleness of his face. Gold eyes, having been distant before his words, were bright and sharp despite the late hour.   
  
"How long have you been out here?"  
  
A shrug; a lie. Marron had a very good natural sense of time.   
  
Reaching out, Gateau took one of the boy's hands into his own larger ones. It was cold, as if made of the snow that surrounded them, but softer. With one motion, Gateau wrapped an arm around Marron's waist and pulled him flush against his body. The mage trembled, chilled against the sudden warmth.   
  
"Come on, let's go to bed."  
  
They walked quietly through the carpeted halls. The Sorcerer Hunters had been allowed three rooms on the third floor. They were all quite comfortable, decorated with large wooded furniture that lended itself to the cabin theme. Gateau not wanting to deal with the two twin beds of one room and Marron having a certain aversion to the massive dear head trophy in another, they had to decided on the third, sharing for convenience's sake alone, of course.  
  
Here the two windows faced the east, sure to be full with the morning sunrise. Between them was a picture, a watercolor landscape print of one nameless artist or another. Across the room was a dresser, large mirror situated above the smooth mahogany surface, and near that a wardrobe for hanging garments and storage. Beside this was the door that led to the small private bathroom, little more than a closet with a toilet and sink. Dominating the room was the bed. It was a sprawling, four posted thing, sitting high off the floor and sporting crisp, dark green linens and matching pillows.   
  
The hardwood floor squeaked beneath them as the two entered. Reaching to bring up the flame on two well-placed lanterns, Gateau turned back to assist Marron in removing his cloak and laying it over a chair. A shiver ran up the mage's frame. Indeed, the rooms were not as well heated as the common areas, but they were well stocked with extra blankets for the guests who wanted them. Taking one of these from the wardrobe, Gateau laid it out on the bed and took a seat beside it.  
  
He motioned Marron over. The boy complied, coming to stand before Gateau, the height difference abolished so that their eyes met. Gateau didn't miss the trembling of his hands or the way his teeth pulled slightly at his lower lip to keep them from chattering.  
  
With a shake of his head, Gateau began to untie the maroon sash about his waist, loosening the knot and then tossing it aside. The tunic followed shortly, ruffling his hair as Gateau pulled it off. Automatically he crossed his arms over his bare chest, one hand resting on his shoulder and the other on the elbow opposite it, causing Gateau to chuckle lightly at the continued modesty. Bending down, he removed one of Marron's shoes, forcing the mage to lift his leg slightly, and then the other. Left only in thin pants, Marron stepped back in hesitation as Gateau reached for their drawstring.   
  
"They're cold aren't they?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Well, if you want to get warm, then let me take them off."  
  
And with that he was allowed to proceed, dropping the pants to the floor and lifting a naked Marron onto the fresh blanket. Curling against the soft fabric and lifting one corner across himself, Marron took Gateau's hand as if to pull him down as well.   
  
"Just a minute," he said, standing to remove his own clothing. He stowed his boots beneath the bed, letting the rest fall where it would. Placing first a knee on the bed, testing the mattress with his weight, he stretched out beside Marron, gathering the mage into his arms and holding him close. For a while they staid that way, across the large bed, warming in each other's presence.  
  
Gateau felt his interrupted sleep threaten him once again, but it was pushed aside quite quickly as Marron shifted against him slightly, giving him certain ideas. According to Gateau's mind, there were at least 436 things one could do with a naked Marron, and none of them involved sleeping. Now, if he could just get consent...  
  
And I'm afraid this is the limit of what the f*cking b*stards...uh, I mean, kind and well meaning censors will allow the Miko to display before your oh-so-sensitive eyes...but if you want to read the rest (you know you do) in all its lemony glory, go to www.mediaminer.org   
  
Her Supreme Omni-potence,  
  
Miko No Hoshi 


End file.
